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Cropping
Cropping is an easy way to improve the composition of a photograph. For example, if your picture has distracting background elements along the top, bottom, or side, you can crop away these parts of the background to focus the attention on the subject.
When you crop a photo, you are removing pixels, and therefore lowering the effective resolution (although the dots per inch will stay the same). If you crop a significant portion of the original, you’re limiting the extent to which you will be able to enlarge the picture for printing. This is why it’s better to compose the picture as best you can when you take it, rather than relying on heavy cropping later.
Cropping a picture allows you to eliminate distractions and improve the composition.
Cropping your picture to a specific proportion lets you control exactly where the picture will be cut. Otherwise, if your picture is not the same proportion as the print size, some of the picture may be trimmed during printing to fit into the printable area of the page.
Using the rule of thirds
When composing a photograph, many beginning photographers tend to center their subject directly in the middle of the frame. While this technique may be the easiest way to get the subject in focus with a point-and-shoot camera, it is not always the most interesting way to present the subject.
Most advanced photographers follow the rule of thirds when composing the space inside a picture frame. The rule of thirds is used throughout the graphic design world, because it helps to create balance between the subject and the background. When you compose a picture according to the rule of thirds, you
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Chapter 5: Basic Touchup mentally divide the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically (imagine a tic-tac-toe grid), and place the point of interest on one of the four spots where the lines intersect.
If the photo includes a person or animal, you can place the face on one of the four points, looking toward the center of the scene. If the photo includes the horizon, it should run about one-third from the top or one-third from the bottom, depending on whether the terrain or the sky is the center of focus.
The cropped picture is a more interesting composition since it follows the rule of thirds.
To crop a photo using the rule of thirds:
1. On the
Format menu, point to Crop, and then click Canvas.
2. Under Select a proportion, click a proportion.
3. Select the Show guidelines for the rule of thirds check box.
4. Click a starting point on your photo, and then drag the outline to the opposite corner of the area to be cropped.
The guidelines show the cropped area divided into thirds vertically and horizontally.
5. Move and resize the cropped area so a focal point in the picture is positioned at one of the intersections of the guidelines.
6. Click Done.
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